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Array
(
[sid] => 20940
[catid] => 1
[aid] => Mick
[title] => Conflagration
[time] => 2003-07-25 03:05:00
[hometext] => Inspired by the horrendous bushfires that beseiged Canberra last summer, I wrote this for all those who have been threatened. Bushfires raging out of control are such an ever-present threat in Australia...
[bodytext] => Day 1: “It’s too far away to threaten us…” Bushfires raging, ‘cross the nation, Summer heatwave, bushland parched and dry. Dark smoke roiling, gum trees crackling, Fire crews fight to contain the blaze. Red tongues licking, burning, eating, North wind raging, fanning flames on high, The scrub’s so dry, a tinderbox, Hillsides barren, no rain for months. Clashing bells, bright red lights flashing, Tankers spraying, fight a losing war. Voices barking, screaming orders, Desperate, now faced with many flashfires. Dancing, taunting, throwing fireballs, Encroaching on the city limits. Fearful men elude the demon, Advancing, it has won this day. Day 2: “My God, it’s getting closer…” Brown smoke billows, greets the dawning, Sun dirty orange through mustard haze. Burning scrub, an acrid odour, Frightened faces regard the skies. Sirens wailing, bullhorns squawking, “Evacuate all your houses now!” Ashen faces, worried breathless, Praying the raging fire will pass. Actions practiced, defences checked, Firebreaks, rubbish, hoses, brooms and mops. Anxious eyes, red-rimmed and sleepless, Nervous lips intone hopeful prayers. Silence eerie, grim, pervading, Nerves taut with anguish, near breaking point. Brave hearts sinking, pounding, thumping; The frightening calm before the storm. Day 3: “Remain behind at your own risk…” Thunder roaring, ominous, strident, Flames devouring, leaping tree to tree. Sparks and cinders all around us, Air so hot, we can scarcely breathe. Dancing tongues soon breach the firebreak, Gum leaves, twigs, tinder dry, exploding. A fiery wall, all engulfing; How now to save our beautiful homes? Bright lights flashing, fire truck looming, Too much clamour, sirens blare in vain. Battle lost, crews ditch the fighting, They’re here for us; forget the house. Windscreen smeared, our view obstructed, Eye-stinging smoke, dread and panic grow. Fingers crossed, in hands of fate now, The juggernaut, unhindered, howls. Driving blinded through smoke and flame, Seconds drag by, seems no escaping. Burned alive! the thought consumes us, As flames surround our wheeled lifeline. Chinks appear, smoke curtain wavers, A headlong dash, one chance for safety. Suddenly, the truck emerges, Blistered, from the inferno’s stronghold. Minutes later, fury’s over, Smouldering remnants the sole remains. Bricks and mortar are no answer, To summer’s deadly, dangerous threat. Day 4: “We survived…today…” Survivors stand, faces blackened, Pale and haggard ‘neath their sooty coats. Picking through the smould’ring chaos, Of what was once their pride and joy. Teardrops fall, secure but homeless, Lined, smeared faces depict the strain. Rebuilding now, the guiding light, Not much salvaged from bushfire’s maw. Raindrops fall, the pattern scattered, A thunderstorm turning dust to mud. Grateful faces gazing skyward, Know the downpour’ll douse the flames. Through it all one fervent question: What disaster will next summer bring? [comments] => 6 [counter] => 165 [topic] => 31 [informant] => Barry_William_Metcalf [notes] => [ihome] => 0 [alanguage] => english [acomm] => 0 [haspoll] => 0 [pollID] => 0 [score] => 0 [ratings] => 0 [editpoem] => 1 [associated] => [topicname] => StoryPoetry )
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